SANTA ANA – There were minutes at a time – particularly long stretches in the second half – that saw Sonora and Santa Margarita go defensive stop for defensive stop.
Over the final 16 minutes of play Saturday afternoon, a total of 19 points were scored between the two squads.
With buckets coming at a premium, the No. 10 Raiders held the Eagles without a field goal over the final 11:30 of regulation and produced just enough offense of their own to take a tight 32-29 win in the Matt Denning Hoops Classic at Mater Dei High.
Sonora (10-5) limited Santa Margarita to just seven second-half points, its final field goal coming at the 3:30 mark in the third quarter when Isabella Maramica’s lay-in put the Eagles up 28-24. Santa Margarita went 0 for 12 from the field and turned the ball over seven times after what proved to be its final field goal of the contest.
“We tell our kids we have to defend,” Raiders coach Melissa Barajas said. “It’s the only thing we can hang our hat on. I was on Lainie (James) today because even though she wasn’t scoring, she was busting her butt defensively and rebounding, trying other ways to make an impact for this team.”
As one of Sonora’s go-to scoring options, James was held scoreless for the first time this season. Senior Meghann Henderson scored 11 points and sophomore guard Elizabeth Yoshitake led the charge with 12. Yoshitake accounted for the only five Sonora points in the fourth, none more important than the straightaway 3-pointer she buried at the start of the quarter, giving the Raiders its first lead of the game, 30-28.
“We’ve been looking for other kids to step up and look to attack,” Barajas added. “We need that. Everyone is going to be teeing in on Meghann and Lainie. It’s no secret. We’re trying to get other kids aggressive.”
Santa Margarita (13-4) led from the first possession of the game until the start of the fourth. Eagles guard Tori Anderson finished with 11 points, but with Henderson shadowing her, the senior scored only two points in the second half.
Also in the Matt Denning Classic:
Windward 55, No. 4 Troy 54: Naomi Hunt’s 3-point shot from the wing hit the front of the rim as time expired, allowing the Wildcats to escape with a one-point win over the Warriors (7-5) in the wild finale.
Trailing by 16 points in the third quarter, Troy pulled ahead 54-53 with 1:36 to play in the fourth after a pair of Hunt free throws. Windward’s Charisma Osborne regained the lead after burying two of three free throws with 6 seconds remaining in regulation.
Hunt finished with a game-high 22 points and teammate Kianna Smith added 19 points for the Warriors.
Mark Keppel 54, No. 1 Fairmont Prep 46: The Aztecs three-quarter-court defensive pressure forced the Huskies into committing 19 turnovers, including 10 in a second quarter from which they never bounced back. Fairmont (11-3) was outscored, 27-11, in the second and trailed by double-digits four minutes before halftime until the 1:10 mark in the fourth. Cierra Hall scored 12 points and Tristen Rollon finished with 10 for the Huskies.
No. 3 Mater Dei 93, Westchester 24: The Monarchs (9-5) scored the first 17 points of the night and went on to crush an overmatched Comets (5-11) squad. Mater Dei senior guard Jayda Adams nailed her first six shots of the evening, including four from long distance. She scored all of her game-high 16 points in the first half.
Huntington Beach 52, Canyon 29: Senior Frankie Wade-Sanchez scored a game-high 17 points and the Oilers (10-7) held the Comanches (8-7) to single-digit points in three different quarters in the showcase opener. Ten Huntington Beach players scored. Mia Farrell led Canyon with 12 points.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@scng.com
